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2008 World Series
The 2008 World Series was the 104th Major League Baseball championship series. The best-of-seven series was played between the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League and the Tampa Bay Rays of the American League. The Series started on Wednesday, October 22, and concluded a week later on October 29. Due to weather delays in Game 5, the completion of the game was postponed. The American League's 4–3 win in the 2008 All-Star Game gave the Rays home field advantage for the series. The Phillies won their second championship in their 126-year history, taking the series four games to one. Their previous World Championship was in 1980 vs. the Kansas City Royals in a 6-game World Series. The Philadelphia Phillies advanced to the World Series after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League's Divisional and Championship Series, respectively. The team won its position in the playoffs after its second consecutive National League East title. This was the Phillies' first World Series appearance in fifteen years. The Tampa Bay Rays advanced to the World Series after defeating the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox in the American League's Division and Championship Series, respectively. The team earned its first trip to the post-season in franchise history after winning the American League East title, one season after finishing in last place. Teams Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia opened the season by posting a winning record in the opening month of April. The team scored 60 runs over a five game span in late May and went 14–4 into the beginning of June. The team lost 9 of 11 games to end June, but came out of the All-Star break with a 9–6 record following the midseason hiatus. The Phillies posted the best road record in the National League, at 44–37. Philadelphia traded sweeps with the Los Angeles Dodgers in August and went 13–3 in their last 16 games, to win National League East title for the second consecutive season. They defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the Division Series 3–1, and the Dodgers in the Championship Series, 4–1 to book their place in the 2008 Fall Classic. This was the Phillies' first World Series appearance in fifteen years. Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays also began the season with a winning record in the opening month of April. The Rays became the first team since 1903 to have the league's best record on Memorial Day after finishing in last place the previous season. The team went 16–10 in June, but lost seven consecutive games leading up to the All-Star break. In August, the Rays lost seven games to finish out the month with an overall record of 84–51. The team concluded the season, albeit with a 13–14 record in September; they won the American League East title for the first time in franchise history. The Rays beat the Chicago White Sox 3–1 in the American League Division Series. In the American League Championship Series, Tampa Bay defeated the Boston Red Sox in seven games, to advance to their first World Series in franchise history. Game summaries Game 1 Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida The Philadelphia Phillies scored the first runs of the Series when Chase Utley hit a home run with Jayson Werth on base in the top of the first inning. The Phillies loaded the bases in the second inning, but were unable to score when Shane Victorino was thrown out at home plate by B. J. Upton. The Tampa Bay Rays loaded the bases in the bottom of the third inning; however, Upton grounded into an inning-ending double play and the score remained 2–0. The Phillies extended their lead when Carlos Ruiz batted in Victorino in the fourth inning. In the bottom of the inning, a solo home run from Carl Crawford pulled the Rays within two runs. The Rays added their second run the following inning when a double by Akinori Iwamura scored Jason Bartlett. Tampa Bay starting pitcher Scott Kazmir was removed after six innings; J. P. Howell and Grant Balfour combined to shutout the Phillies for 1⅓ innings. Ryan Madson relieved Phillies' starter Cole Hamels in the eighth inning, pitching a single perfect inning. In the top of the ninth inning, two Phillies' runners reached base. Tampa Bay's Trever Miller was brought on and threw four pitches—striking out Ryan Howard—before he was relieved. Philadelphia stranded two runners, on second and third base, and entered the bottom of the ninth inning ahead by one run. Philadelphia's Brad Lidge struck out the first two batters he faced and retired the third batter to get the save. Game 2 Thursday, October 23, 2008 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida Tampa Bay scored the first runs of the game in the first inning when Akinori Iwamura and B. J. Upton scored on consecutive ground outs by Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria respectively. The following inning Upton singled, scoring Dioner Navarro. Rocco Baldelli attempted to score from second base, but was thrown out by right fielder Jayson Werth, keeping the Rays lead at 3–0. Cliff Floyd extended the Rays lead to four runs after leading off the bottom of the fourth inning with a single, advancing to third base, and scoring on a Jason Bartlett sacrifice bunt. Ray's starter James Shields shutout the Phillies through 5⅔ innings, before being relieved by Dan Wheeler who pitched an additional scoreless inning. Eric Bruntlett hit a home run in the top of the eighth inning to bring the score to 4–1. The Phillies added a second run in the top of the ninth inning, but were unable to score any more runs; Tampa Bay's win tied the Series at one game apiece. Game 3 Saturday, October 25, 2008 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The third game of the Series was delayed for an hour and 31 minutes because of rain. The Phillies scored in the bottom of the first inning after Jimmy Rollins led off with a single and eventually scored when Chase Utley grounded out. In the next half inning, Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford doubled, stole third base and scored on a Gabe Gross sacrifice fly to center field. Carlos Ruiz gave the Phillies their second lead of the night when he hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. Starting pitchers Matt Garza and Jamie Moyer pitched six and 6⅓ innings respectively. The 2–1 score remained unchanged until the sixth inning when Chase Utley and Ryan Howard hit the 14th back-to-back home runs in World Series history. Crawford scored his second run of the game in the top of the seventh inning when he was batted in by Gross again. Dioner Navarro continued the rally by scoring on a Jason Bartlett ground out—bringing the score to 4–3. In the top of the eighth inning, B.J. Upton led off with a single, stole second and third, and scored on a throwing error to tie the game. Eric Bruntlett was hit by a pitch leading off the bottom of the ninth, moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a throwing error. Tampa Bay intentionally walked the next two batters to load the bases, and brought in Ben Zobrist from right field to play as a fifth infielder behind second base. However, Bruntlett scored the winning run on Ruiz's 45-foot infield single, the first walk-off infield single in World Series history, giving the Phillies a 2–1 lead in the series. Game 4 Sunday, October 26, 2008 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia took a 1–0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, as Jimmy Rollins led off with a double and scored when Pat Burrell later walked with the bases loaded. The Phillies doubled their lead in the third inning when Chase Utley reached base on a fielding error and scored on Pedro Feliz's single. The Rays scored their first run when Carl Crawford hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning. Ryan Howard's three-run home run in the bottom of the inning brought the score to 5–1. Tampa Bay's Eric Hinske hit a pinch-hit home run to bring the Rays within three runs, but Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton responded with a home run of his own to re-extend the lead to four; it was the first time a pitcher hit a home run since Ken Holtzman in the fourth game of the 1974 Fall Classic. Blanton pitched six innings, giving up two runs on four hits to acquire his first win of the Series. Jayson Werth hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning—the Phillies third of the game—to bring the score to 8–2. Later in the inning Ryan Howard's second home run, and fifth RBI, increased the Phillies lead to eight runs. Philadelphia's four relief pitchers combined for three shutout innings, giving up one hit. Due to the late completion of the previous game, Games 3 and 4 each ended on the same calendar day, October 26. Ryan Howard tied the record of 3 home runs in a 5-game World Series, set by Donn Clendenon of the 1969 New York Mets. Game 5 Monday, October 27, 2008 (started) and Wednesday, October 29 (completed) at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia scored in the first inning for the third consecutive game, taking a 2–0 lead when Shane Victorino batted in Jayson Werth and Pat Burrell. Tampa Bay cut the lead in half in the fourth inning; Carlos Peña doubled and was batted in on Evan Longoria's single, both players' first hits of the Series. The Rays then tied the game in the sixth inning when B. J. Upton scored from second base on a Peña single. The game was suspended after the top of the sixth inning due to rain, making it the first game in World Series history not to be played through to completion or declared a tie. After the game was suspended, home plate umpire Tim Tschida told reporters that he and his crew ordered the players off the field because the wind and rain threatened to make the game "comical." Chase Utley agreed, saying that by the middle of the sixth inning, "the infield was basically underwater." Rain continued to fall in Philadelphia on Tuesday, further postponing the game to Wednesday, October 29. The game resumed with the Phillies batting in the bottom of the sixth inning. Pinch hitter Geoff Jenkins led off with a double and was bunted to third by Rollins. Jayson Werth then batted in Jenkins to take the lead for the Phillies, 3–2. In the top of the seventh inning, Rocco Baldelli re-tied the game at three runs with a solo home run. Later in the inning, Bartlett was thrown out at home for the third out. In the bottom of the seventh, Pat Burrell led off with a double. Eric Bruntlett, pinch-running for Burrell, scored on a single by Pedro Feliz to put the Phillies up by a run again, 4–3. In the top of the ninth, Brad Lidge gave up a single and a stolen base, but was able to shutout the Rays for the Phillies' second World Series Championship. Implications of the suspension Under normal conditions, games are considered to be official games after five innings, or four and a half if the home team is leading at that point. However, both Rays and Phillies management knew before the first pitch that Commissioner Bud Selig, who decides whether to delay or postpone World Series games, would not allow a team to clinch the Series by winning a rain-shortened game. The game resumed on Wednesday, October 29 in the middle of the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. This was the first game in World Series history to be suspended. There had been three tied games in the history of the World Series: 1907, 1912, and 1922, all of them called due to darkness. In general, no ties would be needed under modern rules, which provide for suspension of a tied game and resumption of it at the next possible date. Weather has caused numerous delays and postponements in Series history (notable postponements beforehand coming in 1911, 1962, 1975, 1986, 1996 and 2006), but never any suspended games before 2008. Although not officially a suspended game, the most notorious postponement of a World Series due to natural events was the 1989 World Series in which the start of Game 3 was delayed 10 days, the longest in World Series history, due to the Loma Prieta Earthquake striking the San Francisco Bay Area. The post-season games are operated by the Commissioner's Office and are subject to the Commissioner's discretion of how to handle the scheduling of the games, as with the way this Game 5 was handled. Although the game was suspended, Nevada sports betting agencies treated it as a completed game and a win for the Phillies. Under Nevada house rules the final score of a baseball game is determined by reverting to the last completed full inning, and the Phillies led 2–1 at the end of the fifth. Game 5 side bets on Philadelphia were paid off while bets on totals and run-line bets were refunded. In addition, Major League Baseball recognizes that the Phillies won the World Series on October 29, as that was the date the game was completed. Summary Series overview Totals by inning Weather conditions Games 3 and 5 of the World Series were delayed by rain storms in Philadelphia, with the start of Game 3 on Saturday, October 25 being delayed an hour and 31 minutes (with that game ending at 1:47 am EDT Sunday, October 26). Game 5, begun on Monday, October 27, was suspended after 5 1/2 innings and resumed Wednesday, October 29. Wet weather which affected Game 5 continued into Tuesday in the Philadelphia area, as Major League Baseball officials studied radar data to determine when Game 5 of the World Series would continue under conditions deemed "appropriate." Up to this point, there had never been a rain-shortened game in Series history, and this was the first suspension. As a result, had it been necessary to play them, Games 6 and 7 in St. Petersburg, originally scheduled for October 29 and October 30, were postponed until a later date. With temperatures plummeting to the mid-40s Fahrenheit and a cold rain falling at Citizens Bank Park, some of the Phillies and Rays players opted for the "Elmer Fudd" look, wearing specially made caps with built-in ear flaps. The caps are manufactured by New Era, baseball's official cap supplier. They were introduced during this year's spring training but were not used on the field until Game 5. Broadcasting The games were televised on FOX in the United States with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver as booth announcers and Chris Myers and Ken Rosenthal as field reporters.Tim McCarver's flying start. Salon.com. October 23, 2008. Jeanne Zelasko hosted the pre-game and post-game show with Kevin Kennedy and Mark Grace (Games 1, 2) or Eric Karros (Games 3, 4, 5). Fox Sports en Español did the simulcast of the Series in Spanish. On radio, the Series was broadcast nationally by ESPN Radio with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan announcing, and a Spanish broadcast on ESPN Deportes Radio. Dave Wills and Andy Freed called the Series in English for the Rays on WHNZ-AM in Tampa, with Ricardo Tavaras and Enrique Oliu working the Spanish broadcast on St. Petersburg's WGES-AM. Harry Kalas, Scott Frankze, Larry Andersen, and Chris Wheeler called the Phillies' English broadcasts on WPHT-AM in Philadelphia, with Spanish announcers Danny Martinez, Bill Kulik and Juan Ramos on WUBA-AM. Following their contractual obligations, the non-flagship stations on the teams' radio networks carried the ESPN Radio broadcasts. For international viewers, MLB International carried the feed, with commentators Rick Sutcliffe and Dave O'Brien. Game 1 was watched by 10.1 million viewers in the United States; Commissioner Bud Selig stated he was satisfied with the ratings. Overall viewership was 25% lower than the previous World Series. Quotes of the series World Champions of baseball! Brad Lidge does it again and stays perfect for the 2008 season, 48-for-48 in save opportunities... And let the city celebrate! Don't let the forty-eight hour wait diminish the euphoria of this moment and celebration! Twenty-five years in this city that a team has enjoyed a world championship and the fans are ready to celebrate. What a night! Phils winning, 4–3, Brad Lidge gets the job done once again!}} }} }} Umpiring Between Games 4 and 5, the league admitted that in Game 3, Phillies Jamie Moyer threw the ball to Ryan Howard to force out the Rays' Carl Crawford at first base, despite umpire Tom Hallion calling Crawford safe in the game. The league also admitted that in Game 4, Evan Longoria tagged Rollins at third base, though umpire Tim Welke had ruled Rollins safe. In Game 2, home plate umpire Kerwin Danley appealed a call to the first base umpire after calling strike three; the first base umpire called ball four to award Rays Rocco Baldelli a walk. Baldelli indicated that the calls did not come up in the locker room, and he did not believe they had an effect on the results. References External links *World Series | MLB.com: World Series *2008 World Series - PHI vs. TBR - Baseball-Reference.com *2008 World Series by Baseball Almanac *ESPN - MLB Playoffs - 2008 World Series - Tampa Bay Rays vs. Philadelphia Phillies Category:World Series World Series Category:Tampa Bay Rays Category:Philadelphia Phillies